Gratzi - For Those Delicious Gnocchi in Ann Arbor!

Gratzi in Ann Arbor was fantastic!  The pasta dishes come in two sizes - primi and secondi.  I had the primi portion of the gnocchi with grilled shrimp in a spicy tomato sauce with bacon for $16 - the entree portion was $20.  The gnocchi was the best I've ever had - light little pillows of potato that magically grabbed the sauce and enough bacon to create a delightful bite.   The shrimp was grilled perfectly and was so big that I could cut it into three pieces!  The sauce was spicy - a definite kick that I wasn't expecting, but the smoky bacon mellowed it out enough for me.  If I was making this at home, I would just fry the bacon to an extra crispiness - there was a piece or two that didn't pass my texture test.

Salad with entree for $5, could have been better dressed, lacked flavor, but the fresh slices of Parmesan cheese provided the pop of saltiness and the wedge of the Roma tomato was nice and ripe.

The wine selections were terrific - at least 10 choices each for red or white from various regions, including California, Italy, French, etc.  I asked for a taste of the sauvignon blanc that I was not familiar with from Mendocino, which was quite good - not as much citrus flavors as some.  You have your choice of 5oz or 8oz pours - and of course, the entire bottle if you want it!

My dining companions also enjoyed their choices as well.  We were there to catch up and spent three hours doing so! Our waitress finally came over to collect the check once we were one of two tables left at Gratzi.  Total bill before tip for three salads, two primi pastas, one entree pasta, three glasses of 5oz pours and three coffees was $102.  I would definitely put Gratzi on my list, but next time I'm getting the entree portion of the gnocchi!

Vinology – Grilled Cheese Sandwich Puree?

This was the second time to Vinology in Ann Arbor, Michigan in just under a year, and unfortunately, I think it will be my last for a while.  I really want to like this place, because I love the fact that they offer every entrée in a petit portion!  The ambiance is nice inside with high ceilings, a beautiful bar, and al fresco dining.  And there’s a great selection of food on the menu – but when it comes down to execution, something is missing.    

Tonight I had the “grilled cheese” salad for $9 – which was described as being summer tomatoes, butter lettuce and a grilled fontina cheese sandwich puree.  Why puree a perfectly good grilled cheese sandwich?  The flavors were on target, but the texture was unappetizing.  It was like someone chewed the sandwich for a few minutes and then spit it out on the plate.  Yuck!  Unfortunately, some of the tomatoes were mushy, while others were under ripe – and yet some apparently were slightly roasted, and tasty, but it didn’t all go together.   The potential was there – why not keep the sandwich intact and do a play on a panzanella salad?  Moving on to the petit halibut entrée for $20 – the fish was too salty and had a funky taste that made me worry that I might end up regretting this choice later….but the duck confit smashed potatoes were excellent and the cherry vinaigrette was a delicious sweet surprise on the plate.  When you read through the menu, so much of it sounds wonderful.  Maybe I didn’t make the right choices?  Total bill for two salads and two petite entrees (no wine at Vinology!) was $60.